Thoughts from Quarantine #2

10 days into quarantine and the only thing that I can think of is motivation. How do we stay motivated in times like this? How do we push ourselves to wake up for work? How do we keep from going stir crazy?

When it comes to work and staying motivated, the best answer is just get up and do it. If I find myself dragging in the morning, I just think about how many people are not able to work right now. We are lucky to still be working. We are lucky that our companies allow us to work safely from home. Here are a few tips for getting through the work day.

1) Move around! Working from home, you can end up sitting all day and all night. Every hour, get up, walk around, and do 10 pushups. If you are getting sore, do some yoga poses to keep your self loose

2) Eat small snacks all day instead of large meals. Eating little meals frequently will keep you from getting a food coma as well can keep the quarantine weight off. It also gives you a chance to take a quick break.

3) Stay in contact with your co-workers. Use video chats, instant messengers, and phone calls to stay connected. Staying connected will help motivate each other throughout the week.

4) Write to do lists. It keeps you organized, on task, and nothing is more motivating than crossing things off a list.

5) Write down what you accomplished at the end of each day. This helps justify what you have gotten done and you will be surprised with the amount of work that actually gets done.

Staying motivated for work is one thing, but keeping from going completely crazy, during quarantine, when not working is another issue. There are a few things that we have done so far that keep us busy.

1) Stay connected with your friends. Video chatting, texting, social media, or even sitting in your car, in their driveway, drinking a beer from a distance. Everyone is in the same boat, so staying connected will give everyone a distraction.

2) Stay busy! I can't say it enough. Pick up a hobby, start a project, clean, paint, write, draw, play video games. Do anything to keep your mind busy. You have all this time on your hands, so use it creatively and constructively.

3) Exercise! Exercising keeps your mind busy and your body healthy. It doesn't take much to get a good sweat going, walking, yoga, pushups, jumping jacks, running, hiking.

4) Stay positive! It is always easier to be negative in times like this, but staying positive can empower others struggling to keep going. We are all in this together and we can all benefit from finding the good in things.

5) Be polite! When you do have interaction with people, be polite. Say thank you to the mail man, be kind to the people handing you takeout.

Hang in there, everybody. Stay active, stay healthy, stay positive!!!